Snow is great for resistance training! Pushing against it to run takes plenty of muscle plus you have to raise your legs high to clear the snow pack.

It is easier for me than for Eva. I am taller, I am stronger and, hello, I'm made for snow. She isn't so fond of winter, really. The cold winds bite through her short fur. And, if she complains about it, Mom puts a silly quilted jacket on her. But Eva says the worst part about winter, and about running in the snow, is what happened to her today.

Eva was out for a potty break happily wandering around and looking for a squirrel to chase. As her time outside grew longer she became more and more uncomfortable until, finally, she asked to come indoors. As she limped inside both Mom and I could see that she had one of her hind legs tucked up tight underneath her body. She wouldn't put any weight on it at all! I think she was shivering as much in pain as she was from the cold!

Eva has had problems with her hind leg before. The doctor says that she is prone to over-stressing a muscle or a tendon causing an intermittent limp. As Mom ran her hand gently along Eva's leg there wasn't any injury to feel. Then Mom put her hand under Eva's foot. Eva practically screamed! I was scared. I thought maybe Eva's foot was broken!

Mom just smiled and nodded to herself then spoke soothingly to Eva while continuing to cup Eva's little foot in her hand. Eva eventually stopped shaking and even squinched her eyes closed. I noticed a lot of water dripping on the floor.

Well, Dad did it. He replaced the floor. Where once was carpet and stinky, soiled sub-flooring there is now a beautiful bamboo floor. It is very hard! Eva and I cannot scratch it with our nails. Mom is happy because our fur vaccuums right up. No more slaving away on carpets for her!

There is one drawback. This stuff is hard to stand on! While I am cautious about how I place my paws, poor Eva is sliding around like Bambi on the icy pond! She took a spill yesterday that I thought would put her out of commission for awhile. Luckily she is okay but I can tell she must have a bruise since she keeps one side away from me while we play.

Mom says she will get a few area rugs for us but not many because she likes looking at the shiny new floor. I'm sure Eva and I will get used to walking on it after a while.